While Jennifer Lopez has worked with singers on the popular reality series “American Idol” and is currently acting in NBC’s police drama “Shades of Blue,” her dream gig, as executive producer of NBC’s “World of Dance,” begins Tuesday.
“We created literally the perfect show for me to be a part of,” Miss Lopez said at the NBC Summer Press Day. “I love dance such at a core level, and I always consider myself a dancer first.”
“World of Dance” brings the world’s best dancers together to compete in epic battles of artistry, precision and athleticism for a $1 million grand prize.
“I became a singer and an actress after I was a dancer,” Miss Lopez said. “That was the first thing my mom put me in when I was five years old. That was my first form of artistic expression.”
Miss Lopez recalled her early, challenging days as a dancer, when she performed for the “love,” while hoping against hope that fame and fortune would somehow follow.
“I remember having to have pizza, one slice of pizza every day,” she said. “No breakfast, no lunch, dinner around 6-ish, [and] that would hold me over to the next day.
“That’s how I lived once I moved out of my mom’s house. I did that for a couple years before I got my first big job. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and none of these dancers would.”
Miss Lopez soon enough got a job as a dancer on “In Living Color,” the sketch comedy show produced by Kennan Ivory Wayans. The dance squad was led by choreographer Rosie Perez, and Miss Lopez was a member of the Fly Girls for two seasons before striking out on her own as an actress. “Selena,” the 1997 biopic of the Tejana star, vaulted her into the Hollywood A-list.
In addition to executive producing “World of Dance,” Miss Lopez is a judge on the show, along with “Dancing With the Stars” mainstay Derek Hough and singer Ne-Yo. Host and mentor Jenna Dewan Tatum, a former dancer and Channing Tatum’s wife, also participates.
“To create an opportunity for dancers where they can be the stars, create their own brand, make a name for themselves … where they can make that type of money — nowhere in the world as a dancer can you make $1 million — was the best thing that I could have ever done starting as a dancer myself,” Miss Lopez said.
Just like on “The Voice” and “American Idol,” Miss Lopez believes the judges’ personalities and chemistry will be a key factor in the success of “World of Dance.”
“It is key that you have judges that are knowledgeable about what they are judging and that they have a lot to offer,” she said. “But they also have their own great personalities and have chemistry together. I think that’s the most important thing.”
“There has to be respect for one another and … a joy to be around each other,” she added.
While ABC is bringing “American Idol” back, at this point Miss Lopez will not be a part of that revamped series.
No matter if there is a solo dance performance or an ensemble in the “World of Dance” competition, Miss Lopez has a message for fans: Expect to be inspired.
“To be able to see kids who are 9, 10, 11, 12 years old, and people who have been doing it for so long and are a seasoned couple dancing together, it just reminded me of all of the reasons why I love dancing and why I wanted to do this in the first place,” Miss Lopez enthused.
“I guarantee you, within the first half hour of the show, you are going to laugh, you are going to cry, and you are going to dance.”
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